The Familiar, the Unfamiliar

As autumn set in, the weather started to turn cooler. After all, this was a southern city, so catching a sight of something like a maple forest to mark the arrival of autumn was pretty much impossible in Haizhu City.

Besides his daily routines, Ye Shuang had been setting aside time every week to visit Auntie Qiao, a thing he had not told a single soul about. On top of occasionally running into Fugui in the hospital ward, Ye Shuang had even come across Taozi there.

"Brother Ye, you're here." Taozi spotted the fruit Ye Shuang brought over and immediately got up to pull a chair out for him.

"No need to go through the trouble, standing for a bit is fine for me." Ye Shuang just shook his head, then let his gaze drop onto the gaunt old woman lying in the hospital bed. It had only been a short while, but Auntie Qiao, who once had a normal, healthy build, had shriveled up like a dried log. She was frighteningly thin, and was now even in a coma.

"Auntie Qiao..." Ye Shuang frowned the moment he saw her condition.

"Grandma Qiao threw up several times today, she can't keep anything down at all, so we can only give her nutrient fluids through an IV." Taozi explained. Apart from Fugui, Taozi spent every spare minute she had looking after Auntie Qiao.

After all, Fugui was the one who had given her a second chance at life, so Fugui's mother naturally held an extremely important place in Taozi's heart.

Hearing what Taozi said, Ye Shuang let out a soft sigh. It was clear that there was not much time left.

Pancreatic cancer was a condition that even chemotherapy could barely do anything against. As Ye Shuang looked at the old woman on the bed, his heart was filled with a tangled mess of emotions.

A familiar elder he had known for so long was going through such a terrible fate.

"Your health really is the most valuable thing you can have." Ye Shuang thought to himself quietly.

Auntie Qiao's time was running out, and it looked like her final days were just around the corner.

Maybe this was the unresolved knot weighing on Fugui's heart too.

Ye Shuang had no idea what else he could do to help. He could only quietly check Auntie Qiao's condition, then fall silent.

He was no superhero.

There was nothing he could do to change this.

Right then, Fugui pushed the ward door open and walked in. She smiled faintly when she saw Ye Shuang. "Little Shuangshuang, you're here?"

Fugui had toned down her makeup a lot. No more loud, garish colors, no more flashy, revealing outfits — she was just wearing a plain, ordinary long dress.

After sitting down by the bed, Fugui silently picked up a towel to wipe Auntie Qiao's face and arms. By this point, Auntie Qiao could not even hold a normal conversation anymore. She was comatose most of the time, and the doctor had already told Fugui to prepare herself, as there was barely any time left.

Staring at that gaunt, haggard back, Ye Shuang hesitated for a few seconds. When he looked up again, he unexpectedly spotted a pale pink clock hovering over Fugui. He froze for a moment before making sure he was not seeing things.

That was...

Why? Why was it on Fugui?

Ye Shuang hesitated a few more seconds, and after he confirmed that he had not misread it, he was just about to stare intently at that clock when Fugui turned around. "What's the matter, Little Shuangshuang? You've been spacing out this whole time."

"I..." Ye Shuang started to speak. "Can you turn your back to me for a second, Fugui?"

"You like it from behind? Can't Ah Qin and the others satisfy you?" Fugui teased, flicking a finger playfully.

Ye Shuang: "..."

Ye Shuang flipped him off with a deadpan expression.

"Just kidding. Let's go get some fresh air and let my mom rest in peace for a bit," Fugui said to Ye Shuang after glancing at Auntie Qiao on the hospital bed.

"Yeah, that works."

"Then I'll stay here and watch over Grandma Qiao," Taozi piped up.

"That's my good girl," Fugui said, giving Taozi's cheek a gentle pinch before leading Ye Shuang out of the ward.

Outside the ward was a small lounge area, furnished with nothing more than a few large sofas and a clear glass coffee table.

After Ye Shuang and Fugui sat down, they both caught sight of the floating clock behind each other's back. Ye Shuang suddenly thought of something and asked, "Fugui, what's the biggest regret you've ever had?"

"A regret? Little Shuangshuang, why are you asking that all of a sudden?" Fugui, with a woman's cigarette clamped between his lips, looked rather taken aback by the question.

"I... I just felt like asking."

Hearing that, Fugui said nothing for a long moment, just took a deep drag on his cigarette, then squinted his eyes slightly. "It might sound pretty silly."

"Silly?"

"Mm." Fugui propped his cheek up on one hand and smiled. "I keep having this same dream, over and over—"

"If I hadn't fought with Fu Yao that day, my whole life would have turned out completely different, right?"

"I broke something that belonged to her back then..."

"But there's no such thing as 'what if'," Fugui murmured, seeming to sink deep into his memories.

"What did you break?"

"...I don't remember."

"I see." Ye Shuang didn't press the matter any further. Watching Fugui smoke silently beside him, he asked another question, "Are you even allowed to smoke here?"

"I booked this entire floor for myself," Fugui replied.

"Fair enough." As Ye Shuang spoke, he noticed Fugui holding out a cigarette to him. "C'mon, have one with me."

Ye Shuang didn't say anything else, just took the cigarette and lit it up. Sometimes no words were needed, they both knew exactly what the other was thinking.

When Fugui turned his head casually to look at the view outside the window, Ye Shuang's gaze fixed on that clock floating behind him.

The moment he stared at it, the clock's hands started spinning wildly.

Ye Shuang puffed on his cigarette calmly, watching the whole world around him get swallowed up by pale white, before a shrill beeping noise blared out.

...

...

"Tick, tick, tick." The familiar, steady ticking of a clock rang out, and the scenery in front of Ye Shuang shifted into something completely different.

"..."

"C'mon, we have to recite *The Turtle's Longevity* from memory for the teacher's pop quiz tomorrow."

"No way, really?"

"For real, the teacher is my mom."

The voices drifting over pulled Ye Shuang's consciousness fully back into focus. He glanced around and saw rows of familiar classroom desks and chairs, the well-known blackboard, and the students on cleaning duty. He looked down at his own youthful, uncalloused hands and realized he was at Ninth Middle School, the school he had attended years ago.

"..." Ye Shuang stayed silent for a few seconds, then slowly stood up straight.

"Ye, hey Ye, what are you doing? Stop acting all cool like this every time after you finish watching *Armor Hero*, you look like a total fool," a voice came from beside him. Ye Shuang turned to see a teenage girl standing there, puffing out her cheeks.

Recognizing it was Chen Qin, Ye Shuang smiled. "Nothing."

"Let's go, let's go, we're heading home! If you drag your feet any slower, I won't walk home with you ever again. You know this young lady has tons of people vying for my attention," Chen Qin tossed her long ponytail and huffed playfully.

"Where's Fugui... no, where's Fu Yao?" Ye Shuang glanced around and asked.

"Huh?" The moment she heard Ye Shuang only cared about Fu Yao right off the bat, Chen Qin puffed up her cheeks even more. "Ugh..."